A production line for the production of optical lenses is known from the international patent application WO 02/087861. With this production method a monomer is cast and polymerised in a cavity framed by two shell molds and a seal whereby the lens is formed. Afterwards, the seal is removed and the lens separated from the two shell molds in a separating device. The two shell molds are separated from the lens one after the other. The separating device consists of a holding device that secures the lens, a force transmitter that exerts a force on the lens, preferably at the interface between the lens and the shell mold, and a second force transmitter that exerts a force on the shell mold.
Separating the lens from the two shell molds is a tricky process with which there is a great danger that the lens and/or the shell molds are damaged or destroyed during the separation process. For this reason, separation is still done by hand, the separation process of WO 02/087861 was not reliable. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,474, a spatula is mentioned that is used to separate the lens from the shell molds.